Stressing the need for adapting to changing conditions, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Government is committed to transform the State into a knowledge hub.
Patnaik was speaking at the 18th edition of ‘Enterprise Odisha’ organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Odisha chapter. This year’s theme of the annual exhibition is ‘Accelerating Odisha’s economic growth through innovation, transformation and effective implementation’.
“To develop the industrial base in the State, our focus is to make Odisha a knowledge hub. The interest shown by leading national and international knowledge-based institutions has emboldened the Government to work in this direction,” Patnaik said. CII eastern region Chairman Sudhir Deoras said there was a scope for investment of more than ` five billion in the steel, power, service and sports sectors in the State. Deoras attributed the growth of the State as an attractive investment opportunity to a stable leadership. He also spoke about ongoing skill development programmes being undertaken by CII in the State. The confederation is also working on analysing the skill gap and ways to bridge it.
“We are already operating a few Skill Gurukuls and plan to open some more in future. Scope for developing eco-friendly technology in the State is explored,” said Deoras and added that they will submit the proposal to the State Government soon.
An information technology pavilion has been set up at the exhibition for the first time. More than 30 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have opened stalls. Information Technology Enterprise Association (ITEA) president Bijay Sahoo said there are more than 100 SMEs under ITEA who are exporting services amounting to more than ` two crore annually.
Industries Department’s Principal Secretary Parag Gupta said the State will witness a multifold industrial growth in future. Among others, Chairman of CII Odisha State Council MK Gupta, MP Prasanna Patsani and CII Eastern Region Director Saugat Mukherjee were present at the event.